You can upgrade any of the parts on a road bike to make them lighter and more aero (wheels are the best place to start), but as far as the bare minimum set-up is concerned, all you actually need is a bike (says Rob Banino<\/strong>).<\/p>\n Provided it\u2019s got a full and functioning complement of wheels, saddle, frame, gears, brakes and bars, it\u2019ll get you through any 70.3 or Ironman bike leg.<\/p>\n Put the work in and keep sufficiently fuelled up and you could do it on a Penny Farthing (if the rules allowed). It wouldn\u2019t be impossible; you\u2019d just be at a serious disadvantage if you wanted to set a competitive time.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> So, assuming your fitness and food are sorted, what\u2019s the least you need to add to a standard road bike to reduce that disadvantage? Well, not much really. Just clip-on aerobars<\/a><\/strong>, clipless pedals<\/a><\/strong> and shoes, and a way to carry all your fuel, tools and spares.<\/p>\n Clipless pedals<\/strong><\/a> and triathlon bike shoes<\/a><\/strong> will make your pedalling more efficient as the bindings and stiff soles mean more of your legs\u2019 power goes into turning the cranks. And clip-on aerobars will save<\/a><\/strong> you more energy by making you ride in a more aerodynamic position.<\/p>\n Anything beyond that is helpful, but you\u2019ll find the performance improvement in components gets progressively smaller the further their prices rise.<\/p>\n So don\u2019t despair if you can\u2019t spend a fortune on a dedicated triathlon bike for Ironmans, because you can still be competitive on a road bike with some clipless pedals and clip-on bars \u2013 and the right training.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t believe me? Well, consider the fact that Chrissie Wellington<\/a><\/strong> not only placed fifth at Ironman UK 70.3 and the Long Course Age Group World Championships, but also won Ironman Korea and the Alpe d\u2019Huez Long Course Triathlon while having to \u2018make do\u2019 with just a road bike. Yes, a dedicated triathlon bike will help your performance, but you can still do well without one.<\/p>\n All things being equal, on almost all 70.3 and Ironman courses a dedicated TT bike will always be quicker (writes Nik Cook<\/strong>). You can certainly tweak and modify a road bike for the task but, without the steep seat angle and other differentiating features of a TT bike, it\u2019ll always be a compromise.<\/p>\n There are, however, a few boxes to tick before that \u2018all being equal\u2019 qualifier applies. The most important is fit. You can have the most aerodynamically advanced frame and wheel-set available, but the biggest drag factor is the mass of bones, flesh and Lycra sat on it.<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t sustain your aero position and end up riding a significant chunk of the bike leg sat up on the bullhorns, you\u2019re probably better off on a road bike.<\/p>\n For long-course racing, your aero position has to be comfortable, sustainable and allow you to run a marathon when you get off. If you\u2019re going down the TT route, I\u2019d strongly advise getting a professional bike fit.<\/p>\n But the process doesn\u2019t end there. You\u2019ve got to get out and train on the thing. Far too many triathletes treat their race bike as a museum piece, wrapping it in cotton wool, gazing lovingly at it and, unless conditions are perfect, only riding it on race day.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve got to do the bulk of your training on it, including your long rides. That\u2019s when you\u2019ll adapt to it and you can tweak it to you. You\u2019ll learn to be comfortable on it, discover its handling quirks and become confident staying aero through bends and down descents.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why part of your budget for buying a TT should go towards some durable training wheels. Fortunately, many off-the-peg entry-to-mid level TT bikes come with wheelsets more suited to training, so you can start logging the miles on it straight away and start saving for your race-day deep-section wheels<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cA dedicated TT bike will always be quicker\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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